As you know, they have the ability to spread a high-temperature heat wave over a large area, impacting living things... which is a nice way of saying they can vaporize humans instantly. You should be well aware of how dangerous Power Bombs are and how their devastation can't be obstructed with common materials.

Power Bombs (パワーボム,Pawā Bomu?) (known as Super Bombs in early print) are one of Samus' most powerful weapons. They must be deployed via Morph Ball mode; a few seconds after being deployed, they detonate, destroying most enemies within a very large radius, often covering an entire screen or more. In Metroid Fusion, the blast also appears to cause a vacuum that can draw ordinary X Parasites (including ones that came from enemies killed by the blast itself) to the center of the blast. They are also capable of harming members of several Metroid strains.

In Zero Mission, Super Metroid and Samus Returns, the Power Bombs are capable of opening Yellow Doors. Additionally, both Zero Mission and Super Metroid feature glass tubes that can only be destroyed with a Power Bomb. In Fusion, they can destroy orange Bio-Barriers. In all four games, they are also capable of destroying Power Bomb Blocks.

In both Fusion and Zero Mission, Power Bombs are capable of revealing hidden passages and special blocks during the bomb's duration. In Super Metroid and Samus Returns, this function is carried over to the X-Ray Scope and Scan Pulse, respectively.

In Super Metroid, Samus can perform the Crystal Flash, a technique that allows her to absorb the destructive force of the Power Bomb and convert it into energy to heal herself. She is only able to do this at critically low health levels, and it consumes a lot of her ammunition in the conversion process. She can also create Special Charge Beam Attacks using 1 Power Bomb and the Charge Beam.

A Power Bomb explosion depicted in a Metroid: Other M cutscene.

The Power Bomb in Metroid: Other M is arguably its most powerful appearance, capable of destroying many enemies at once, including some minibosses. It plays a role in the training sequence at the beginning of the game when the Head Quarantine Officer instructs Samus to use her Power Bombs. In this game, it serves as a charged Bomb, and can be released when the 1 button is held for a set period of time. Due to its chargeable nature, it can be enhanced using the Accel Charge. Because it has unlimited ammo, it has a lengthy cooldown applied. In order to protect his platoon from the bombs' extremely lethal nature, Adam instructs Samus to not activate them while the crew is on board as Adam reveals that the explosion from a Power Bomb can vaporize a human instantly which could unintentionally harm the platoon or any survivors. The Power Bombs are finally applied extremely late within the game — during the battle with the Queen Metroid as Samus enters her body and is continuously being drained of energy, Samus activates them on her own as her very life depends on it. Interestingly, Dr. Madeline Bergman avoids being killed by this explosion due to the nearby room she was hiding in shielding her from the blast. Power Bombs are the only things that can "awaken" a Desbrachian, causing it to open its cocoon and attack Samus.

In Metroid Prime Samus had to fight the Cloaked Drone and get through a maze of electric barriers in the Phazon Mines to acquire Power Bombs; alternatively, Samus could obtain a Power Bomb Expansion in Phendrana Drifts before this by Sequence Breaking. Power Bombs can destroy objects made of Bendezium. If Samus dies while in Morph Ball form, what appears to be a Power Bomb detonates just before the game ends. This does not happen in Echoes or Corruption.

Oddly enough, the Power Bomb Generator is listed as one of the abilities Samus loses at the beginning of the game, though they were not usable nor listed in the Inventory at that point, and are only usable after she regains them. This trait is shared with the Grapple Beam.

The model for the Trocra was originally intended to be a Power Bomb in Metroid Prime Hunters, as evidenced by the model's file name "PowerBomb_Model", but it was used in-game. It was found scattered around the room in the Oubliette, where the first battle between Gorea and Samus takes place.

Official data

Super Metroid manual

"The blast of these powerful bombs can hit everything on the screen. Blocks with the Power Bomb icon can [sic] destroyed by Power Bombs."

"These radiate a huge explosion which is usually powerful enough to kill any enemy on screen. Certain doors and blocks featuring the power bomb symbol can only be destroyed by detonating one of these devastating explosives nearby. To lay a power bomb, you must first have collected the morphing ball. First change into a ball, then highlight the power bomb icon with select and press [X]. Location: Crateria, Brinstar, Norfair, Maridia."

Official Metroid Prime website

Weapon Effect: Lethal at close range.

Weapon Range: 1 - 10 m

Weapon Potential: Extreme

The Power Bomb is Samus Aran's most powerful weapon while in Morph Ball form. The Power Bomb is much stronger than the regular Morph Ball bomb, but it does not increase the height of Samus Aran's Bomb Jump. The Power Bomb's explosion is strong enough to destroy the hardest elements, including Bendezium.

Metroid Prime manual

"Power Bombs are super-powered bombs that will affect everything within a certain distance of their explosions. Unlike ordinary Bombs, these are limited in number, and Samus will have to replenish them herself by defeating enemies and collecting Power Bomb capsules. Some structures can only be destroyed by Power Bombs"

Metroid Prime scan

"Power Bomb. Press [GameCube Y button] in Morph Ball mode to use a Power Bomb."

Metroid Prime 2: Echoes manual

"Power Bombs are super-powered bombs. Unlike ordinary Bombs, Samus will have to replenish them by defeating and collecting Power Bomb capsules. Impediment made by Denzium can only be destroyed by Power Bombs. Drop these by pressing the Y Button while in Morph Ball mode. You can find Power Bomb expansions to augment your supply, but they tend to be well hidden."

The Power Bomb is the strongest Morph Ball weapon.Press / when in Morph Ball mode to drop a Power Bomb.

Samus's Notes

Power Bombs do not have unlimited ammo. Use them wisely.The Power Bomb can destroy many materials, including Denzium.Each Power Bomb Expansion you find will increase the number of Power Bombs you can carry by 1.*

Metroid Fusion manual

"This is the bomb in its most powerful form. Its explosion encompasses the entire screen, damaging a limited number of enemies. While in Morph Ball mode, hold the R Button then press the B Button."

Fusion website

"The explosive power of Samus's advanced Bombs damages all enemies and disintegrates all susceptible obstacles in the room. The Power Bomb blast can also destroy some structures that are invulnerable to normal Bomb blasts."

"This is the most powerful form of Bomb. Power Bomb explosions are massive, encompassing and damaging everything in view. Samus has a limited supply of these Bombs. To use them, hold the R Button while in Morph Ball form and press the B Button."

In the 3DS version of the fourth Super Smash Bros. game, special Powers are available to characters for use in Smash Run to enable such effects as healing damage. One of these Powers is a Power Bomb. When used, a Power Bomb (taking its appearance from Super Metroid) is dropped, and explodes after a second, creating an explosion similar to the Smart Bomb from Star Fox, which is also an item in the game. Various upgrades to the power cause it to have more uses, but also take up more space in each character's Weight Limits. When dropped, the Power Bomb has the same sound effect as when Samus uses her normal Bomb in that game (which is the same sound she makes when hurt in Super Metroid), but as it explodes it makes the same sound as a Smart Bomb's explosion.

In Metroid Prime, when Samus dies in Morph Ball mode, a Power Bomb will activate before initiating the Game Over screen. This will happen even if Samus does not have the power-up required to use one.

The effectiveness of Power Bombs varies between games. In most games, the Power Bomb cannot deliver lethal damage to bosses and extremely resilient enemies. In the 2D games they cannot damage most bosses at all. However, in Metroid: Other M and Metroid: Samus Returns, the Power Bombs destroy all enemies, including some bosses, most notably the Rhedogian and the Diggernaut (albeit disabled) which are instantly vaporized.

This is also more noticeable with Metroids. The Metroid larvae in Super Metroid takes 3 Power Bombs to kill, but in Metroid: Zero Mission (obtained via hacking) and Samus Returns they are immune to the Power Bomb. Tallon Metroids and their dark counterpart will die to a single Power Bomb. The Omega Metroid in Samus Returns will only have its rib-cage armor blown off, but it and its Metroid Fusion counterpart takes no actual damage from the Power Bomb. Finally, the Queen Metroid in Samus Returns takes 3 Power Bombs in her stomach to kill, but in Other M she succumbs to only one.

The explosive reaction the Power Bombs displayed in Other M looks similar to a nuclear explosion released by a thermonuclear weapon. However, the Power Bomb's explosions are smaller in scale and radius.

In both Zero Mission and Other M, the Power Bombs are acquired extremely late in the game, near the endpoint. This makes them among the most unnecessary power-ups in Metroid games, such as Ship Missiles and the Flamethrower. However, they are put to much better use in other Metroid games.

While a Power Bomb is exploding anywhere in the room in Metroid: Zero Mission and Metroid Fusion, the Power Grip ability is unusable; if Samus tries to use it, she will fall off the gripped ledge.

Similarly, it is impossible to pause either of the GBA games while a Power Bomb is present in the room.